Fouke man arrested in steroid case

A federal indictment handed down in Arizona alleging six defendants conspired to distribute anabolic steroids led to the arrest of a Fouke, Ark., man last week.

Jesse Kolton Lemley appeared in connection with the Arizona indictment before U.S. Magistrate Judge Barry Bryant for a hearing in the Texarkana division of the Western District of Arkansas.

Lemley will be given a date to appear for arraignment before a federal judge in Arizona, according to court records. Bryant released Lemley on a $5,000 unsecured bond.

Lemley, age unavailable, and five other men are accused of conspiring to distribute anabolic

steroids, conspiring to illegally import anabolic steroids from China into the United States and of money laundering. All of the defendants appeared in federal courts.

Lemley, John Foley, Richard Michael Forsyth and Justin Michael Clark are currently free. Robert Alan South and Jose Alonso Flores are in the custody of federal marshals in Arizona and are scheduled for detention hearings there later this week. All defendants except Lemley appeared in Arizona federal courts.

According to the indictment, the men allegedly conspired to bring anabolic steroids from China into the U.S. from June 22, 2013 to April 6. The indictment includes notice of the government’s intent to seek the defendants’ forfeiture of a 2003 Hummer, a 2015 Dodge Charger, a 2013 Ford Fusion, a 1990 Ford Mustang, a 2014 Toyota Tundra and a 2013 Chevrolet Equinox allegedly used to commit the crimes.

Anabolic steroids typically consist of the male sex hormone testosterone. Anabolic steroids have been used by athletes and others seeking to increase muscle mass and enhance physical performance. Use of steroids is largely banned in collegiate and professional sports and has been linked to a variety of serious medical problems, according to reports.